Ratings were up 66% last night from last year for the MTV Video Music Awards aka “The Justin Timberlake Show.” The combination of Justin and his NSync reunion brought in a whopping 10 million viewers. Critically the show was a horror. And it bored various nominees and participants who we caught yawning or knitting during the show. But MTV gave the kids what they wanted: their big pop stars live and in person for 45 minutes (plus commercials). It didn’t hurt that Miley Cyrus got all freaky with Robin Thicke.

Exclusive: The great thing about the Telluride Film Festival is that no one knows what’s happening until you get there. No films are announced, and no programs. It’s like “Survivor” with platinum cards. You can only bring one wireless device and two cashmere sweaters. (Just kidding!)

Anyway. There are three tributes during the weeklong fest. I am hearing now that one of the tributes will be to Joel and Ethan Coen.  The Coens, of course, have “Inside Llewyn Davis,” a film I loved from Cannes with Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake and a cat no one will ever forget. They must have a terrific clip reel, including the wallpaper peeling in “Barton Fink” and Albert Finney singing “Danny Boy” in “Miller’s Crossing.” (Two great films you must watch if you’ve never seen them or have forgotten them.)

Meantime, I reported last week — and seems to be holding up– that Ralph Fiennes will be the second tribute. Fiennes has directed a film about the love life of that old rascal, Charles Dickens. He also has an enormous acting resume for clip viewing, from “Schindler’s List” to Harry Potter movies, “The Reader,” and my favorite, “In Bruges.” Fiennes will also get a tribute gala at the New York Film Festival in September.

And the third Telluride tribute? I think I know it, but we can wait til later. I wish I were going to Telluride. But I have to stay here and watch the tote board for the MDA mini-telethon.

I think Chicago is referred to as Chi-town, not Motown. But “Motown: The Musical” will start its national tour in Chicago next April and not in its bankrupt hometown. A casting call went out this morning for all the main characters from “Motown” from Berry Gordy and Diana Ross to Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder.

An open call will be held here in New York on September 13th at the Lunt Fontanne Theater and another in Chicago on September 14th. Open calls rarely produce unknown superstars but they’re very good for publicity. Think of local news crews roaming up and down lines of little Michaels and tuxedo’d Marvins.

The announcement of the national tour starting in Chicago was actually made to the theater press right before the Tony Awards and well before Detroit announced its bankruptcy. But starting the national tour in Detroit would have been a significant boost to a depressed city. There’s hope that Detroit will be the second stop on the tour. Many Motown original performers still live in Detroit and all of them have their roots in the Motor city.

Was there anything redeeming about the MTV Video Music Awards? Not that I could tell. And I watched it from a very nice party thrown by Republic Records over at what used to the Lotus nightclub on West 14th St. There were lots of young people, all guests, and you know what they told me? They don’t watch MTV. And if they do, they don’t see music videos on it.

Sunday night’s show came from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn but it could have been anywhere, outer space, Kansas City. It had no personality, very little artistry, and a lot of noise. Lots and lots of noise. Miley Cyrus seems determined to destroy whatever fanbase she had by going from Hannah Montana to Madonna. She wore very little and raunched it up in her segment with Robin Thicke– who looks old enough to be her father. It didn’t work. I did like her singing “Blurred Lines.” Maybe she should stick to singing.

Maybe they all should try sticking to actually singing. The painful truth about pop in 2013 is that is freeze dried, presented in perfectly produced packages. All of them– Taylor Swift, Katy Perry– they are like windup dolls in a store window. Someone has conceived and styled them. They all sound vaguely the same which is why Perry’s new single sounds like one released by Sara Barielles a few weeks ago. They are all the same.

With some exceptions: Lady Gaga, god bless her, changed outfits, makeup and wigs around 5 times in four minutes at the start of the show. I give her a lot of credit because at least she’s trying something different. It may not always work. And you can her frustration.

And Justin Timberlake: the material may not always be great, but he’s a stellar showman. His music is not going to stand the test of time. But he’s goodnatured about it. And as with Gaga, the work ethic is obvious. Bringing on NSync was a nice gesture even if it wasn’t their finest moment. They’re like old war buddies trying to relive some old skirmish.

But the sum of the MTV VMAs is that this dreadfully humorless stuff is what pop music is now–at least the pop that is celebrated by MTV. You really had the feeling that the songs were there to hold up the commercials. And what other awards show gives awards on the red carpet during the pre show? That was too much. But of course then these people — these so-called “artists” — would have to speak. And boy that would be a terrible mistake.

Ha ha. Well, all the old farts like yours truly declared the song of the summer of 2013 as either “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk or “Blurred Lines” from Robin Thicke. Not on tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards. You see the “fans” vote for Song of the Summer online. And rabid pre-teen fans of One Direction, the British boy band, have already made “Best Song Ever,” a throwaway single, the song of their summer.

Right now “Best Song Ever” has over 7 million votes. Seven million. By 9pm , when the show starts, One Direction could be up around 9 or 10 zillion. How many times can you vote? Early and often I’d say.

The runners up are Miley Cyrus–4 million for “We Can’t Stop.” Selena Gomez has 2 million.

And then the also rans: Calvin Harris with Elle Goulding “I Need Your Love” has 51,936; “Get Lucky” has 37,251′ and “Blurred Lines” is at a mere 34,081.

Biggest teen fan club wins, and cutest Tiger Beat guys.

Does MTV still play music videos? It must be at 3 in the morning because everytime I’ve sailed past it, it’s either “Real World” or the teen mom, or some other reality stuff. I thought the ‘M’ stood for marketing. Or merchandising. Or Meshugenah.

PS One Direction has had one great song, no kidding. That “What Makes You Beautiful” will be their legacy, the way “I Want it That Way” was for Backstreet Boys and “Bye Bye Bye” was for NSync and “Build Me Up Buttercup” was for The Foundations and “Sugar Sugar” was for the Archies.